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CallPad is an AI receptionist for UK salons. It answers your salon phone 24/7, books, moves and cancels appointments in your salon booking system with the stylist the client asks for, and passes anything tricky to your team. It works with SalonIQ, Phorest, Salon Manager and Shortcuts, and setup takes about 10 minutes.
Yes. That's the whole point. Your stylists are with clients, the junior is at the basin, and nobody can get to the phone. CallPad picks up instead: during the day when the team is busy, in the evening after you close, and on the days you're shut.
You choose how much it covers. You can start with overflow, so your team still gets the first chance to answer and CallPad picks up when nobody can. You can add out-of-hours cover, or let CallPad answer every call. Your salon number stays the same: you simply forward calls to CallPad, and our call forwarding guide shows you how.
Yes. CallPad books, moves and cancels appointments in real time, straight into your diary, with a named stylist.
CallPad powers SalonIQ's own AI receptionist, IQ Connect. If you're on SalonIQ, IQ Connect is CallPad, built into the system you already use. All four of our published case studies are SalonIQ salons.
CallPad answers calls and books into Phorest in real time, with a named stylist. It works on any Phorest plan: you request an API key from Phorest, and CallPad connects with it.
The AI receptionists built into Salon Manager and Shortcuts are powered by CallPad.
CallPad also books into Square, Google Calendar, Zoho Bookings and Setmore. Fresha and Treatwell each offer their own AI receptionist that works inside their own platform (checked October 2026). CallPad doesn't list either. Using Fresha, Treatwell or Booksy? Ask us.
CallPad works from your salon's own settings: your services, service times and stylists. A client can ask for her usual stylist by name, and CallPad offers real times from that stylist's diary. If that stylist is off, CallPad can offer someone else.
It handles the bookings that need a bit more care, too:
When a caller wants a person, CallPad can transfer the call to a team member or take a message. With a message, you get an email that says what the caller wanted, so you can ring back ready to help.
Many won't. Only 6% of UK adults say they would leave a voicemail rather than wait for a business to answer, according to a YouGov survey for Answer4u (YouGov for Answer4u, 2026). In UK call data from 2016, 69% of callers who reached a small business's voicemail hung up without leaving a message (Moneypenny Small Business Call Report, 2016).
Clients also expect a quick reply. Almost two-thirds of buyers expect a reply within 10 minutes, whether they're asking about sales or service (HubSpot Research, 2018). We go deeper in why salon clients won't leave a voicemail, and if you still use voicemail, see our salon voicemail greeting examples.
See all our case studies.
CallPad sounds natural and lets callers know it's an AI. You can change its greeting, including its name and what it says first, and anyone who'd rather speak to a person can ask for one.
"A couple of my older clients, they're the ones that think it's a real person. 'I spoke to your receptionist.' No, you didn't, but you did," says Julie at Wilkinson Smith. "We've never had anyone say it couldn't understand me, even with a Scottish clientele," says John at Lime Salon Group. For more, read will clients accept an AI receptionist at your salon?
CallPad operates under UK GDPR. Our security overview explains how we protect data: data in transit is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS, access is controlled through role-based authentication and logging, and monitoring and alerts are in place for suspicious activity. Your clients keep their rights, including the right to request access to their data, its deletion or a copy they can take elsewhere.
A call-answering service puts a person on the line, often to take a message for you to return. CallPad answers and books the appointment there and then, straight into your diary. We compare the two in salon answering service vs AI receptionist and answering service vs AI receptionist for salons. If you're weighing it against hiring, read how much a salon receptionist costs.
CallPad plans are quote-based. They depend on how many staff diaries you connect and how many hours of calls you need each month. Solo covers one diary, Standard up to 10, Pro up to 20, and Enterprise is for multi-location salon groups. Contact us for a quote, or see our plans.
Setup takes about 10 minutes: connect your booking system, forward missed calls to CallPad, add your notes and instructions, and make a test call. The setup guide walks you through it.
Yes. CallPad books, moves and cancels appointments in Phorest in real time, with a named stylist. It works on any Phorest plan: you request an API key from Phorest, and CallPad connects with it.
Yes. CallPad powers the AI receptionists built into SalonIQ (IQ Connect), Shortcuts and Salon Manager.
Yes. You keep your number and forward calls to CallPad. Our call forwarding guide shows you how.
CallPad operates under UK GDPR. Our security overview explains how we protect your clients' data.
CallPad plans are quote-based and depend on how many staff diaries you connect and how many hours of calls you need. Contact us for a quote.
Yes. CallPad books colour consultations as a consultation appointment type, under your rules. It also handles skin tests, and books multi-service appointments with processing time.
About 10 minutes.
Yes. CallPad answers 24/7, including evenings, weekends and the days you're closed.
Get a quote for your salon, or hear CallPad answer a salon call.
